Art and Craft (2014)
84%RT Audience Score: 74%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 2 nominations
The spotlight it shines on an apparently troubled mind may strike some viewers as exploitative, but Art and Craft remains a thoroughly gripping glimpse into the life of a legendary art forger
Art and Craft” is a documentary that will make you question everything you thought you knew about art. It tells the story of Mark Landis, a man who spent his life creating forgeries of famous paintings and donating them to museums. The film is both fascinating and sad, as we see the inner workings of Landis’ mind and the lengths he went to in order to feel important. But don’t worry, you don’t need to be an art expert to enjoy this movie. It’s like a real-life Ocean’s Eleven, but with less glamour and more awkwardness. Definitely worth a watch!
Production Company(ies)
Storyville Films, Imagine Documentaries, Storyville
Distributor
Oscilloscope Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2015
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:1h 30m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 3, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 27, 2015
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, art forger, Mark Landis, Lester Sullivan, Irwin Lakov, Mark Tullos, Matthew Leininger, directed by Sam Cullman, directed by Jennifer Grausman, produced by Sam Cullman, produced by Jennifer Grausman, written by Mark Becker, genre, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Tirdad Derakhshani, reviewed by Moira MacDonald, reviewed by William Goss, reviewed by Mark Feeney, reviewed by Ben Sachs, reviewed by Matthew Lickona, reviewed by Indra Arriaga, reviewed by Robert Roten, reviewed by Stephen Rebello, reviewed by John Beifuss, reviewed by Paul Chambers, MPAA rating, art, museums, forgery, con man, mental illness, obsession, eccentric, Southern, donated, artworks, documentaries, featured audience reviews, Tomatometer, audience score, streaming, theaters, limited, Oscilloscope Pictures, runtime, distributor, cast, crew, photos, original language, English, release date
Worldwide gross: $235,037
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $293,389
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,859
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 31,994
US/Canada gross: $235,037
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $293,389
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,465
US/Canada opening weekend: $20,879
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $26,063
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,424
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Lester Sullivan – Self
Irwin Lakov – Self
Mark Tullos – Self
Matthew Leininger – Self
Sam Cullman – Director
Director(s)
Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman
Film Festivals
Tribeca
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (46) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (4)
A thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating documentary about Landis’ amazing feats as a forger and con man.
October 31, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
Tirdad Derakhshani
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
It’s the kind of story a filmmaker dreams of – and yet, “Art and Craft” leaves the viewer uneasy.
October 30, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Much like the experts drawn to Landis’ paintings, Art and Craft effectively invites viewers to question the honesty of what’s been placed inside the frame.
October 15, 2014
William Goss
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman, and Mark Becker, the directors of “Art and Craft,” have themselves an enticing subject in Landis’s activities. They do not have an enticing subject in Landis himself.
October 9, 2014
Mark Feeney
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Directors Sam Cullman and Jennifer Grausman maintain a bright tone and a melancholy undercurrent, which combine in an eminently watchable character study.
October 9, 2014
Ben Sachs
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Wonderful and not a little sad.
October 8, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
Matthew Lickona
San Diego Reader
TOP CRITIC
Art and Craft provides a fascinating portrait of Landis’ internal process and justification for what seem to be random acts of philanthropy.
June 20, 2017
Indra Arriaga
Anchorage Press
This documentary about one of the most prolific forgers in history is a fascinating character study of two men, the forger, a man compelled to copy works of art and pass them off as originals, and the man compelled to stop him from from doing that.
February 2, 2015 | Rating: B
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
The moviemakers have created a unique portrait of a highly unusual, gifted oddball who is — unlike his paintings — a true original.
January 19, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
Stephen Rebello
Playboy Online
Operating out of a crummy lifelong bachelor’s apartment, this prolific art forger is an unassuming and even sympathetic mastermind. With his tall, thin frame and baldish head, he resembles an El Greco Eisenhower, accessorized with Alfred E. Neuman ears.
November 24, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
An insightful glimpse into mental illness and an obsession with fame. Just the story of a mild-mannered con man with issues. A film worth viewing.
November 8, 2014 | Rating: A-
Paul Chambers
Movie Chambers
A documentary about Mark Landis, a meek, eccentric Southerner who donated hundreds of his forged artworks to museums but never tried to make money off them.
November 7, 2014 | Rating: B
Marc Mohan
Oregonian…
Plot
When one of the most prolific art forgers in US history is finally exposed, he must confront the legacy of his 30-year con.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary follows the life of legendary art forger Mark Landis.
Sam-Cullman.jpg
